What Happens if One Cylinder Goes Bad?
What is the difference between engine vs cylinder? Well, there isn’t a difference really, because there is engine cylinder in a car. Every vehicle has an engine, and the size of the engine is designated by how many cylinders are in the engine. For example, your car has a V6 engine means it has 6 cylinders. A V8 engine in your neighbor’s truck means it has eight cylinder engine. When a cylinder engine repair is needed, it is more money and more work to repair a 4 cylinder engine versus an 8 cylinder engine.
If an engine cylinder broken, your vehicle won’t have as much power. As we mentioned above, the size of the engine is designated by the number of cylinders inside the engine. When a cylinder breaks, it is referred to a mis-fired cylinder, meaning the engine is firing any power from that one cylinder. So if you a 4 cylinder car and one cylinder breaks, you lose one-fourth of the power. Without having cylinder engine repair, you risk ruining the engine completely.
Can You Drive With a Dead Cylinder?
With only one broken cylinder, yes you can, but it isn’t recommended. Driving with the engine having a misfired cylinder can be potentially dangerous. You’ll already be low of power with one cylinder if not firing and if you another cylinder goes out, then you lose more power.
An example would be with a 4 cylinder car, one cylinder is taking half the power, then two cylinders misfiring would be half the power. Chances are that a 4 cylinder car won’t go far for long on only two cylinders firing. Before it is drove very much more, you need to take it your mechanic for a cylinder engine repair.
How Do You Diagnose a Dead Cylinder?
Here are some indications that your car needs a cylinder engine repair:
- A loss of power is the biggest indication that your vehicle needs cylinder engine repair, especially if there is also having odd vibrations. The cylinders are what powers the engine, as cylinders are going out, the fuel mileage begins to suffer because the other cylinders are working harder to power the engine. Additionally, as you sit at an idle, your vehicle will start shaking as the engine is mis-firing. These are indications that you need to take your car to a professional for cylinder engine repair promptly before there is more damage.
- A loss of spark is another symptom of a misfiring cylinder in an engine. This is usually when the coil voltage can’t hop over the gap on the spark plug end. Bad, damaged, or worn spark plugs will cause the ignition coil to weaken, resulting in a cylinder misfiring.
- A clogged fuel injector will keep gasoline from mixing a good balance with the air/fuel mixture, resulting in a cylinder misfiring in the engine. Having the fuel injector checked and replaced with each oil change can prevent this from happening.
- When an engine is cold, a cylinder will intermittently misfire. This should stop after the engine has warmed up. If your vehicle’s engine has random misfiring, this isn’t easy to be diagnosed, but you should have your mechanic check to see if your vehicle needs a cylinder engine repair.
What Causes a Dead Cylinder?
A misfiring engine is a common problem but isn’t always an easy diagnosis because you have to determine the cause first. The smaller the engine, the misfiring cylinder is easier to notice because it is taking away one or more of the cylinders that power to the engine.
With a misfiring cylinder, in addition to the engine shaking and vibrating the steering wheel and the entire car, it may be difficult to start. The engine may also stall while sitting at an idle and depending on what you have turned on in the car, air conditioning, radio, etc., makes it even harder to start. There is typically three things that cause a misfiring cylinder:
- The loss of spark – as we described earlier, a misfiring cylinder keeps the spark from hopping from the coil to the spark plug. A cylinder engine repair for this is typically replacing the spark plugs. This can also be caused by a crack in the distributor cap which will need to be replaced.
- Air and fuel mixture is out of balance – the first thing a mechanic will try for this engine cylinder repair is replacing the fuel filter.
- Loss of compression – this is a more detail engine cylinder repair and could require the valves being replaced, reseated. An experienced mechanic will perform a compression test will determine if the oil is leaking around the rings or valve guides. Can low oil cause a misfire? Definitely! While an engine needs oil to function, too much oil in the wrong places, like outside the valve covers, will cause the vehicle to misfire.
Engine Cylinder Repair
Your car is a valuable asset for you, and not an inexpensive one. It is important to keep maintenance up on the vehicle like oil changes, fluid levels checked, etc. By having a relationship with a mechanic you trust, they will learn your car and will advise you when they notice something amiss with the engine. Call (404) 920-4252 today for your engine cylinder repair in Marietta and Atlanta, GA.